Wireless communications within elevator systems are known. For the most part, such systems are concerned with entering calls for elevator service without requiring the use of hands, and at some distance from the elevator entrance. Examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,979,594; 4,709,788; and 5,984,051. In these systems, RF devices interact with specific transceivers interconnected with wires to hardware devices. Custom protocols and addressing schemes are required. A failure of any particular transceiver interrupts the link which such transceiver is established to maintain. Alteration of devices having different addresses requires reprogramming the system, sometimes extensively, to accommodate new addresses of new or substitute devices. Other elevator systems utilizing wireless communications, which include handling operating signals, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,979,593; and 5,601,156. U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,994 discloses a wireless maintenance tool, which is limited to causing the elevator to travel upwardly or downwardly, and a wireless receiver that is connectable by personnel to a car operating panel when it is desired to use it. These devices also have problems associated with wireless systems known heretofore.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/899,400, filed Jul. 5, 2001, a wireless safety chain is disclosed. In this system, the infrastructure is rigid and it has the problems referred to hereinbefore. Any system comprised of passive radio frequency identification devices requires being within close proximity of transceivers which not only communicate with them, but also supply operational power for them.